100 Moods of GermanyxItaly
by Lynnliz13
Summary: As I'm sure you could guess, I've decided to take the 100 Moods challenge for my OTP. Mostly short-ish drabble-type things with no real plot connection. Some yaoi, some genderbends, human names used. Enjoy.
1. Accomplished

**Crazy as I am, I've decided to take on the 100 Moods challenge... in alphabetical/chronological order, in a different universe each time. I try to update at least every two weeks, but sometimes I forget, so bear with me... **

**These will feature genderbends, gakuen, yaoi and maybe even some yuri if I'm feeling adventurous. Sometimes the pairing is pre-established, sometimes it is not, and sometimes I reference other pairings that I ship. I don't often post warnings, because I'd rather introduce twists in the context of the story. That said, please let me know if anything is disorienting, and especially about things I didn't quite pull off. Anonymous reviews are enabled, and I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

**/cease ramble  
/cue story  
**

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Ludwig frowned in concentration. _Easy does it, now... Careful, careful!_

With utmost care, Ludwig moved the spatula ever so slowly until it slid cleanly under the yolk of the egg he'd just cooked. Then, careful not to drop it, he lifted the offensive morsel out of the pan and onto a plate, in perfect symmetry with the toast he'd laid out. Then he turned his attention to its little friend, still waiting like a bulbous yellow eye, mocking him. _Just __try __to get me out of here in one piece,_ it seemed to say. Well, he would take that challenge.

He didn't know what had possessed him to try to make eggs, of all the world's breakfast foods. The German man wasn't a particularly skilled cook, especially if the food wasn't common in his hometown, so his choices were understandably limited. But _eggs_?

Ludwig grumbled some choice words for his older brother under his breath. Gilbert had long ago convinced him that making pancakes was a waste of time - "They're crap, West." It was why he'd taken to waking up early and going to Matthew's house for breakfast, though whenever he presented this logic (sound, as far as Ludwig could tell), he had a peculiar tint to his face.

So. Arranged on the tray were plates with two eggs sunny-side up, two pieces of toast buttered and cut in half diagonally, several of the more edible strips of bacon, a banana, a glass of orange juice, and a piece of french toast. This last fixture he had decided to get expert help with, so he'd called Francis to ask for the recipe. In between gasps of debilitating laughter, Francis had kindly informed him that french toast was actually _not_ considered traditional French cuisine, but perhaps Alfred would have some advice for him, as it was a common breakfast food in America. It was after this exchange that Ludwig had decided to turn to the internet for all his cooking tips and tricks.

Ludwig added silverware, a napkin, and a sprig of parsley to one of the plates, and carried the tray to his room.

"Feliciano?"

He watched from the open door as the Italian stirred, blinked a few times, then lifted his head to look at him. He smiled. "I made you breakfast."

Feliciano blinked again and rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Why?"

"For your birthday."

Feliciano looked away, thinking for a moment. "But my birthday is tomorrow."

Ludwig's smile faltered. "...Isn't it the seventeenth?"

"No, today's the sixteenth."

...It couldn't be. "Are you sure?"

"Don't you remember? Yesterday you were supposed to have three meetings in a row, but I made you call and cancel one?"

Oh... "I remember now..."

Feliciano grinned, more awake now. "It's okay." He patted the bed next to him. "It smells fantastic."

Ludwig blushed and brought the tray to the bed. "I'm an amateur cook at best..."

Feliciano seemed not to care, however, digging immediately into the eggs and toast and downing half the glass of orange juice. "How did you manage to keep the egg yolks whole? I always break at least one."

At this, Ludwig couldn't help but feel a small twinge of pride. "It was very difficult," he admitted.

Feliciano held a strip of bacon between them. "Open up," he commanded. When Ludwig did, he popped the bacon into his mouth and pushed his jaw shut with a hand, though Ludwig didn't miss the brief caress of the Italian's fingers on his skin. He leaned down and kissed his bare shoulder, then rested his chin there to watch the meal disappear.

Ludwig had been somewhat worried about what to make, but had decided to overcook, so that his companion could at least sample what he wanted and leave the rest untouched. To his surprise, however, the food was completely gone in a matter of minutes. He set the tray on a bedside table and found himself suddenly trapped beneath Feliciano's body. "That was very, very good." He wasn't _quite_ growling, but there was something about his tone...

Ludwig blushed again. "I'm glad you liked it-"

He was interrupted when Feliciano captured his lips in a kiss, broken after a moment as the latter muttered, "You know, as long as we're celebrating my birthday today..."

In his own very humble opinion, Ludwig judged the morning's objective to be a mission well accomplished indeed.

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**I. Love. This. Pairing.**

**I also love reviews~ ;)  
**


	2. Amused

Gilbert unlocked the front door and stepped in slowly. Ludwig and Feli weren't on the couch watching TV like they usually were. The house was very quiet... _Too_ quiet. His Awesomeness had to investigate.

The first place he checked was the kitchen. Luddy usually left a note on the door of the freezer when he went out, so Gilbert would see it when he raided the fridge. There was no note, but as long as he was here...

He'd barely gotten the door open when he heard a loud THUMP as something - or some_one_ - slammed to the floor above him. Gilbert grinned. What could they _possibly_ be doing up _there_?

His Awesomeness went once again to investigate.

He climbed the stairs slowly, straining his ears for some sort of noise. Surprisingly, they weren't in any of the bedrooms. Wherever they were, they must have been pretty impatient.

Gilbert stopped and scratched his head. Where _were_ they?

Suddenly he got his answer, as he heard Feliciano squeal from the den at the end of the hall. "No, Ludwig! Please not there, that spot's super sensitive!"

Gilbert grinned widely, and followed the noise.

As he got closer to the door, he heard the sounds of some sort of... _scuffle_, and could make out more dialogue. "A-ah, Ludwig, no... P-please - stop!"

Gilbert stood there a moment, listening to Feliciano's breathless moaning and Ludwig's goading "Come on, Feli, give it back!"

Then there was another thump, and Gilbert decided it was time to take a peek. If only he had his cell phone... Prioritizing, he pushed the door open slowly.

They were on the floor. Ludwig was straddling Feliciano, alright, but they were both... clothed. Feliciano was writhing around, trying to escape from Ludwig without losing the Iron Cross clutched in his hand, his body wracking with silent laughter at the torment of Ludwig's merciless tickling. Gilbert watched as Feli suddenly flipped up, sending Ludwig to the floor with another thump and climbing on top of him, trying to tickle him back. The sounds of their laughter filled the room until the instant Gilbert cleared his throat.

Immediately all play ceased, and Feliciano collapsed onto Ludwig's chest in surprise. Both looked at him, Ludwig straining his head back for an up-side-down view, hair completely mussed. Feliciano was still panting. Both stared.

"Normally I wouldn't interrupt, but I wanted to make sure you're safe."

Ludwig frowned, and Feliciano looked plain confused.

"Let me know if you need anything - advice, condoms, lube..."

The effect was instantaneous. Both took on an identical bright red blush, glanced at each other for a split second, and abruptly looked in opposite directions. Ludwig, attempting to appear nonchalant (and failing), gently moved Feliciano off of him and rolled away. Feli sat up and ran his hands through his hair anxiously, as if hoping that if he pulled his curl behind his ear often enough it would finally stay down and out of sight.

Gilbert snickered and closed the door on them. He'd get a good laugh out of this at Matthew's. In the meantime he was pretty sure there'd been beer in the refrigerator...

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**Gilbert is Awesome. If it needed any more declaration, he is.**

**I loved writing this chapter. And the fact that they're not together made it all the more UST/awkward/amusing-ly.**

**Oh, Gilbert... XD  
**


	3. Angry

_Feliciano? Do you think you could come over for a few minutes?_

Feliciano stared at the text message for several seconds. He knew he was always welcome at Ludwig's home, but the German man _never_ asked him to come over - not unless it was some kind of emergency.

So what had happened?

_I'll be over as soon as I can_, he replied, and quickly began gathering his things. An overnight bag with enough clothes for two nights, just in case, plus his wallet, with cash and his I.D. so he could pick up some good beer on his way over. A stop at the kitchen so he could pick up some tiramisu, and then he was out the door.

Or, he would be, if Lovino hadn't noticed his frantic preparations.

There he stood, a scowling, cursing barrier between Feliciano and the door that would mark his departure for Ludwig's.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Feliciano breathed deeply through his nose. "I am going to visit Ludwig," he said evenly, "and it is very important, so I would like for you to let me go now."

Lovino looked down and noticed Feliciano's overnight bag. "If you think I'm letting you stay at that potato bastard's house _overnight_ you've got another think coming."

Feliciano huffed. "Lovino, let me go _now_."

Lovino smirked and pointed his nose in the air. "No."

His cell phone suddenly felt very heavy in his pocket. It reminded him of that text, and the urgency of his departure. "Lovino, I understand that you don't like him, but I'm going whether you like it or not, so please _move_!"

His brother shook his head emphatically. "Believe me, Fratello, I'm doing you a favor. That good-for-nothing son of a bitch is gonna dump you in a ditch one of these days, and you're gonna be left with a broken heart and no one to go to and he won't even give a damn and-"

Lovino's rant was interrupted by a loud slap across the face. He looked at Feliciano in shock.

"Don't you _dare_ talk about him that way!" he shouted. "I don't care what you think, Lovino, but he is a _good person_, and unlike you he would do _anything_ to make me happy, even if it was something that he didn't like! It's a little something called _sacrifice_. You do it for people you _love_."

Lovino said nothing in reply, only reaching a hand to his awestruck face, gently touching the mark left by Feliciano's hand.

Feliciano shook his head in disgust and pushed past him roughly. "I'm leaving. Don't wait up."

He slammed the door behind him and made a beeline for his Ferrari - it would probably get him there fastest, speed limits be damned. As he pulled away he dimly noticed that he was driving somewhat recklessly even for him, reliving the argument incessantly.

But then he remembered Ludwig's text.

Ludwig was a proud man, not very communicative about his emotions. So whatever had gone on at his house was probably causing him a lot of pain, and it had probably taken him quite a while to gather the courage to text Feliciano for help.

Lovino could wait. For now, Feliciano felt his foot press the smallest bit more on the gas pedal. Ludwig needed him, and so to Ludwig he would go.

**

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**Speedier update this time~ (marginally...).**

**Any guesses on what Ludwig's big emotional thing was?**

**I heart reviews. Even nasty ones. ;)  
**


	4. Annoyed

**I know, I know, please forgive me! I've basically disappeared from FF… I even stopped my NaNoWriMo. :( (It didn't last more than three days…)**

**But! Fear not, for I hath returned! And stuff.**

**Oh, and Luddy's big emotional problem, worth texting Feli about? Um... Well, maybe I'll make it a one-shot someday. (Which is code for I-actually-had-no-idea-when-I-was-writing-it.)**

**:D  
**

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"Ludwig."

There was no response except for an index finger tapping twice against the steering wheel. Feliciano tried again. "Ludwig."

Ludwig looked at him from the corner of his eye, then sighed and faced the road again. "What is it, Feli?"

"What exactly is the speed limit?"

"90."

"And how fast are you going?"

"88."

Feliciano said nothing, only looked at him pointedly. Ludwig sighed and accelerated, watching the needle inch up to exactly the 90-kilometer mark. "Better?"

Feliciano sighed and nodded. After a moment he asked, "Don't you think-"

"No, Feliciano, you may _not_ drive."

"But you're going so _slow_!" he whined.

"I'm _not_ going to break the law, so you'll have to just put up with it."

"But-"

"_Feli_."

Feliciano shut up then, recognizing from Ludwig's tone that it would not be wise to push him further. He closed his eyes and lay back against the seat in silence, and didn't notice when Ludwig began to gradually accelerate past the speed limit.

**~xxx~**

"Feli, I promise you, it is _not_ possible to power America's cars with spaghetti."

"But _everything _is possible with spaghetti!"

Ludwig tried his hardest not to bash his forehead against the table. Feliciano had decided on "The Perfect Solution" to the energy crisis while daydreaming during the World Meeting, and was intent on suggesting it to the rest of the nations. "Feliciano. I am very happy that you're taking an interest in this meeting, but that idea is just-"

"Germany, do you have something you would like to share?"

Ludwig looked up. There stood Alfred with an expectant look on his face as all the other nations turned to stare. _Germany _was talking during a World Meeting?

"These meetings are for world issues only. You may discuss personal matters with Italy some other time."

"We were talking about the energy crisis," Ludwig grumbled quietly.

"_Germany_."

Feliciano giggled. "He told you, huh?"

For once, Germany contributed not a single idea to the global discussion, and Ludwig sat in stony silence for the rest of the day.

**~xxx~**

"Ludwig~" Feliciano called, skipping alongside the German, "can I drive?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"_Please_?" Here Feliciano latched onto Ludwig's shirt and stared up at him with big puppy dog eyes and a pout on his face.

Ludwig hesitated. He valued their safety, but... Feliciano had become a master at more than just painting. He had that expression down to an art. "...Fine."

Feliciano clapped excitedly. "Yay!" He watched Ludwig dig through his pocket, bouncing impatiently on the balls of his feet, and grabbed the keys as soon as they were in sight. "Thank you!" He paused. "Ludwig," he said, tugging on the keys again. "Ludwig, you can let go now."

"Sorry," Ludwig said, releasing them reluctantly. "But drive safely!" he called after Feliciano's skipping form.

"I always do!"

"_Under_ the speed limit!"

"What speed limit?"

"The speed limit that-" Ludwig froze, suddenly feeling quite faint. "...doesn't... exist... Wait! Feliciano, you are _not_ allowed to take the Autobahn! Do you hear me? Feliciano!"

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**...Yeah, so these are all the same day. Poor Luddy's just so annoyed.**

**My dad told me about the Autobahn, which was the greater inspiration for this story. So I wrote it, and THEN researched it, which wasn't too smart. It seems that the highway system in Germany (Autobahn means highway) consists mostly of roads without speed limits except in some areas in which safety would otherwise be compromised, like perhaps from construction. So... please ignore the terribly counterfactual nature of basically the entire ending.**

**I may be given a chance to fix this, however: I'm going to Germany! And Austria, and Switzerland! On a school trip! And get this: We're going to be passing through Liechtenstein! AHHH LIESS I LOVE YOU XD**

**Ahem. Liechtenstein is by far my favorite (actual) country EVER. I'm moving there when I finish educating myself here at Alfred's place. I'm already teaching myself German... :D  
**


	5. Anxious

Ludwig tapped his fingers against the railing, completely lost in thought. They were taking far too long... He felt his fists begin to clench.

"Ludwig? That's too tight."

The sound of the voice immediately broke him out of his reverie. "Sorry, Feli." He rubbed the hand he'd squeezed apologetically.

Feliciana lay on the bed before him, tubes and monitors attached to her body in all the proper places. Ludwig looked at her a moment, absentmindedly twirling the hospital bracelet around her wrist with his free hand. "How are you feeling?"

Feliciana rolled her eyes. "We've been _over_ this - I'm _fine_."

"I know, but I mean about..." He tipped his head toward the door. "You know."

"Yeah." She bit her lip. "They'll be here soon. We have to just focus on that."

He squeezed her hand reassuringly and went back to his fidgeting.

"Ludwig, you know you can just go see her."

"I'm not leaving you alone," he said brusquely.

She shot him a look. "What could possibly happen while I'm lying in bed?"

Ludwig could think of several worst-case scenarios, but he said nothing. The real reason, though he didn't want to admit it, was that holding Feliciana's hand was almost as comforting for him as it was for her.

Alright, so maybe _she _was the one doing the comforting.

"Hey," she said gently, squeezing his hand. "She'll be fine. I promise."

He clenched his jaw. "I can't be sure she's safe unless she's with me."

Feliciana smiled. "Who would've thought when I met you that you'd turn out to be such a softie?"

Ludwig chuckled, and looked at her fondly. It was much better this way.

At that moment, a doctor entered the room. "Mr. and Mrs. Beilschmidt!"

Ludwig scrambled to his feet and offered a hand, which the doctor shook. "Congratulations! You're probably wondering-"

"Yes," Ludwig interrupted.

Feliciana swatted at his stomach. "Be nice!" she admonished.

The doctor laughed airily. "It's quite alright. I'll just get to the point. Everything went exceptionally well. She is in perfect health, though she'll need to stay here for a while longer before her discharge. In fact, she'll be ready for visiting in just a few moments. Feliciana, you should be fine to leave quite soon, but of course you're welcome to stay with her."

Feliciana nodded. "Thank you."

Two women then entered the room, and Ludwig's impatience was finally put to rest.

He'd never been an overly emotional man, but there were some moments in his life, mostly having to do with Feliciana, which were so intense that they had burned themselves into his memory forever. Some of his favorites were when Feliciana had first said "I love you," "Yes!" and "I do."

This, though... This was a different kind of moment entirely.

"Ah, here they are. Joanne, why don't you..."

But Ludwig couldn't hear the doctor anymore. He was focused on the impossibly small bundle that had been pushed into his arms.

"Ludwig, meet Adalina Beilschmidt."

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**So, I really like this one... XD**

**Alright, backstory. Obviously, Adi's their first child. A complication in Feli's pregnancy led to the decision to deliver the baby immediately by Cesarean Section, which was thought to best preserve the health of both of Ludwig's girls. Of course they would've let Feliciana hold her briefly before they carted her away, because she would've just given BIRTH after all, but the doctor needed to talk to Ludwig, so his introductions were brief at best. Then, they whisked Baby away to clean her up, check her vital signs, and make sure she could survive outside the womb. She's a preemie, born 32-ish weeks into the pregnancy (which is about two months early), but she would've been just about ready to survive outside the hospital. (Usually the requirements are that they can breastfeed and maintain their own temperature within an open cot; transfer out of the incubator usually happens at about 1700-1800 grams, which is about how much a 32-week fetus would weigh...) The doctor explained all this to Ludwig, went to do doctor-ly things, and presto! Cue "Anxious."**

**I'm thinking that maybe-possibly I'd like to expand this into a slightly longer fic, because I really do like this universe... XD**

**Reviews are love, and you know you love me... 0:D**


	6. Apathetic

Feliciano stared blankly at the chalkboard, going absolutely insane from boredom. This was Calculus, a subject he had given up trying to understand long before. Since then the class had been a flurry of blank notebooks, random homework answers, and failed tests. His grade was hovering happily around an F+, and he didn't give a shit.

Actually, it had been a similar story in most of his other classes. Feliciano was an artist, not an intellectual. Lovino had gotten any brains that might have been in the family. He was the one destined for college, and everyone knew it.

"Mr. Vargas, at least _pretend_ you're trying to do the assignment."

Feliciano blinked, and the board came back into focus. On it was written instructions to complete a problem set from the textbook.

He glanced at the clock. There were two minutes left of class. At this point, why bother?

He heaved his book out of his backpack and dropped it onto the desk with a loud thud. Then he opened the front cover and flipped through the pages one at a time. The teacher, who had been standing there watching him, rolled her eyes and marched off to help someone else.

The bell rang, and Feliciano slowly gathered his belongings and trudged out of the room. Some cruel twist of fate had given him his two worst classes together, in classrooms right next door to each other. He was the first to arrive at Chemistry as usual, and sat down to finish the sketch of a kitten he'd started during Calc.

The teacher droned on for a while, but Feliciano tuned him out. When he was working on the ears - the whole mood of the picture depended on his finding just the right angle - he noticed the rest of the class was moving. He looked at the problem written on the board, at the notes written before it, and pieced together whatever he could to fake his way through it.

There was something about Electron Configuration, with a lot of Ps and Ss with numbers written after them... In the margin of his notebook, utilizing the only space left beside his gigantic kitten picture, he began to scrawl his "answer."

P1, Q2, R3, S4, T5-

"You're doing it wrong," a voice interrupted.

Great, so apparently he now had a lab partner - and a nosy one, at that. "Yeah, I know, but see the problem is that I don't really-"

He looked up, and froze midsentence.

A girl sat beside him, straight blonde hair pulled out of her face with a clip at the back of her head, revealing clear, deep blue eyes and a pale complexion. She was dressed in a tasteful black sweater that hugged her body nicely, a knee-length, pleated blue skirt, and conservative black flats.

This must be the girl he'd heard about - the gorgeous smarty-pants perfect student, here as an exchange student from Germany. The description didn't even do her justice.

And now she was his lab partner.

"You're Ludia!" he blurted out.

"I am." She tugged a loose strand of hair behind her ear in an attempt to conceal her impatience. "You were saying?"

"Just that... I don't really... know what I'm doing. Could you help me?"

She nodded, scooted her chair over, and leaned in to see his notebook more clearly, close enough that Feliciano could smell her perfume.

He was suddenly very, very interested in Chemistry.

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**Aww, Feli, y u no lyk skool?**

**It was nice to write the Italian inferiority complex from another angle. Lovino definitely has his baggage, but I'd be surprised if Feli was totally happy-go-lucky all the time. I might write more of this characterization later. There's a delicate balance between completely happy and secretly suicidal, and I kinda wanna find it.**

**Thanks ahead of time for your review. ;)  
**


	7. Aroused

**Hey my lovely people! First of all, I owe you guys thanks for all your patience, because evidently I'm REALLY bad at this whole update cycle thing. Secondly, even more thanks and plates of pasta to everyone who's reviewed, favorited, alterted, or squealed/laughed. You guys are awesome, and I don't say that nearly as often as I should. **

**In accordance with popular demand, I will be extending the universes of Angry, Anxious, and Apathetic, so you can look for those eventually. I'm distracted by a songfic that's ending up very long, but I'll let y'all know when those pieces are done.**

**Uh, so this is next alphabetically... But please feel free to ignore this one. TRUST ME IT'S ALRIGHT I FORGIV- /dies of awkwardness**

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"Okay, that's enough." Ludwig leaned his hands on his knees, panting heavily from their run. "Excellent job, Feliciano. You kept up with me the entire time."

Feliciano nodded, keeping his gaze fixed on some point in the distance. The reason behind his success today was clear, though he'd never admit it to Ludwig. The day was blisteringly hot, and the German had long since removed his coat. He was now clad in a black muscle shirt, and, childish though it was, Feliciano found the sight to be even more motivating than England.

He blushed. He was being silly. Besides, how would Ludwig react if he knew what he was thinking?

Oh. Ludwig had suddenly pulled his tank top off. Feliciano had a full view of the muscles in his stomach as he took a long drink, and then as he poured some water over his head, running his fingers through his disheveled hair as the water slid down across his shoulders...

"Feliciano, are you okay? Your face is bright red." That was interesting. Felicano hadn't known his body contained enough blood to send it all north _and_ south, but apparently it was so.

He had to pull himself together. He tried to focus on something else, anything to distract himself from imagining how Ludwig's chest might feel if he reached out-

But now Ludwig looked a bit concerned. "Hey, answer me. This is important." As a means of eliciting some kind of response, he gave a certain curl a sharp tug.

"Ah!" Feliciano's legs promptly gave out at his touch and he collapsed to the ground.

"Feli!"

Feliciano squeezed his eyes shut, concentrating, trying to dispel the very lifelike sequences running rampant through his head. Certainly he couldn't feel Ludwig's hands on his face, and surely he would never be unbuttoning his shirt, pulling it off of him, beginning to unfasten his pants-

Feliciano's eyes flew open with a gasp. "_No!_" He rolled to the side, away from Ludwig's hands, and curled into some version of the fetal position in an attempt to hide an increasingly obvious fact of his mental state.

"Feli, we have to cool you down, you're getting heat stroke!"

"No," Feliciano moaned.

Ludwig seemed confused. "But you already sleep naked. There's no one around..."

"I just need to go inside," he whispered in response.

Ludwig hesitated for a moment, then nodded decisively. A moment later he'd slipped his arms under Feliciano and was carrying him bridal style across the field to the house. Feliciano wrapped his arms around him and buried his face in the crook of his neck. The proximity wasn't helping his current problem much, but at least he couldn't see Ludwig's concerned face looking down at him every twelve seconds.

Ludwig carried Feliciano inside and set him down on the German side of the bed. He lay quiet for a moment to collect his frayed nerves, trying to ignore the strange look Ludwig was giving him.

It was Ludwig who broke the silence first. "I'll-" He stopped when his voice cracked, cleared his throat, and tried again. "I'll go get you a glass of water."

"Don't bother." Feliciano got up and trudged toward the door. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Make sure it's cold enough to cool you off-"

"Oh, don't worry, it will be!" Feliciano called back before slamming the bathroom door behind him.

Ludwig stared accusingly at the spot Feliciano had vacated on the bed, trying not to remember the image of his flushed face and partially removed clothing. He sighed. He supposed it didn't matter if Feliciano used all the hot water in the shower. It's not as if he would need it for himself.


	8. Awake

It was a quiet evening in the Beilschmidt household. October 3rd, 2010 - the 20-year anniversary of Germany's reunification. In honor of the occasion, Gilbert and Ludwig had spent the day together - with Feliciano tagging along, of course - and now the three of them were sitting in the living room, a fire crackling merrily and the television turned on to broadcast the festivities in Berlin. There were fireworks scheduled to go off at midnight, and with less than half an hour to go, the mood had become somewhat lethargic.

Gilbert was sprawled across an expansive armchair, and was stroking a sleeping Gilbird, staring absently into the fire. Ludwig and Feliciano sat on the sofa together, managing, somehow, to have scooted closer together over the course of the night, and now sat with their sides flush, though of course neither realized it. Feliciano was watching the TV set with rapt attention, which was surprising considering the lateness of the hour and the fact that he'd skipped the day's siesta to "celebrate with Germany." Ludwig, on the other hand, was growing very sleepy, head sinking and jerking back up repeatedly.

As midnight approached, Gilbert stood. "Well, I'd best be going - Francis and Antonio owe me a few drinks." He hesitated. "I probably won't be back until tomorrow, so don't wait up for me."

"Tell Matthew I said hi!" Feliciano said brightly.

Gilbert blushed. "Uh, yeah, sure, I will... Next time I see him..." He smirked. "Don't you two have _too_ much fun without me." Feliciano stuck his tongue out at him, and Gilbert waggled his eyebrows suggestively in response. Then he grabbed a light coat and his keys, and was gone.

"Ludwig~" Feliciano poked his cheek. "Ludwig, wake up or you'll miss the fireworks."

Ludwig squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm sorry, Feliciano, I'm trying..."

He dimly felt Feliciano shifting next to him, and suddenly felt a weight on his lap. His eyelids fluttered open and through a sleepy haze he could see that Feliciano was now sitting on him. Without his permission, his arms moved to encircle his waist as Feliciano shifted once more, straddling him. His weight was pressing on him just so... _Ah...How do I tell him to move?_

Feliciano was very, very close, exhaling softly across Ludwig's cheek, one hand twisting through the strands of hair at the nape of his neck, the other tracing a finger lightly from behind his earlobe underneath his jaw. Ludwig groaned softly. "Feliciano, please don't do that," he whispered.

Feliciano ignored him. "I'm jealous of Prussia," he said... _seductively_? He paused and moved closer, until his lips brushed against Ludwig's ear. "He got to unite with Germany," he whispered, before biting down gently on his earlobe.

Then Feliciano brought their lips together, and as the fireworks started going off in Berlin, Ludwig could honestly say he'd never felt more awake.

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**I meant that last fireworks line literally, but then the idea of fireworks going off in Germany's vital regions hit me a little differently. XD Corny timing is corny, but you've gotta admit it upped the fluffiness factor a bit.**

**FYI, I know pretty much NOTHING about Germany, so please take this as what it is - a casual fic written by an insane fangirl who's never left continental North America. I picked Unification Day because it's the closest thing the Germans have to an Independence Day/Birthday and it also happens to be current, which made me happy.**

**EDIT: I've gone through all the previously posted chapters and fixed really small, stupid, random errors that I'd somehow managed to miss my first dozen times reading through these. In the future, if you see something that might possibly be a mistake (for example, once my iTouch corrected "Mr. and" to "Mr. And" and I hadn't noticed) please let me know? Anonymous reviews are in fact enabled, so I can get the whole world to help me! :D Pleaseandthankyou! XD  
**


	9. Blank

Ludwig entered his house and set his keys on the table in the hall, shifting the grocery bag in his arms to alleviate the chill that was seeping through his shirt. He'd gone out to buy some more wurst after his brother had eaten it all, stopping at a separate store to pick up some gelato for Feliciano.

Ludwig paused in the foyer. The house was quiet... Inhaling deeply, he realized that for once he couldn't smell pasta cooking from the kitchen. Ludwig frowned.

Going to investigate, Ludwig found that the kitchen was clean, the only dishes in the sink being the ones from their breakfast.

...Perhaps he was just taking an exceptionally late siesta? It was 4:30, and he was usually cooking dinner by now. Even so, Ludwig put away his groceries and made his way to the bedroom.

When he got to the door, he hesitated. It was left half-open, and Ludwig suddenly got the feeling that it would be very, very unwise to enter.

_Preposterous_, he thought, and pushed through.

Feliciano's side of the bed looked neat and utterly un-slept in, as if he hadn't taken siesta there at all. There was a sheet of paper left on his pillow with an Italian flag emblazoned on it - the first time Ludwig had ever seen Feliciano's personal stationary. At the top, there were two short sentences written in a curled script:

_I'm sorry._

_Please understand._

The rest of the page was blank.

Ludwig dropped the paper on the bed. Across the room, the closet door was slightly ajar. Ludwig was across the room in a second, throwing it open hurriedly.

All of his clothes were there exactly as he had left them, but there were a few hangers missing. The absence of Feliciano's uniform and extra clothes changed the appearance of the closet completely.

Ludwig sat heavily on the bed, then lay slowly back across the mattress. His head landed next to a pillow that still strongly bore Feliciano's scent.

Ludwig would not fall apart. He knew Italy's interests were no longer best preserved on the Axis side. He knew their alliance was merely political. He knew that Feliciano was free to do whatever he wanted. And he knew that there definitely, _definitely _was nothing more to it than that.

He was just fine without Italy. Better, even. And now that there was no one else to demand his time, Ludwig was free to push through all the work he'd been neglecting lately.

He was fine. He did not hurt.

For the rest of the war Ludwig fought with all his power. Every effort went into maintaining a forward motion. Every night he kept busy as long as he could, staying up late with a book if there was no work and finally making his way to his bedroom to collapse into immediate sleep. He skipped breakfast, ate dinner on the go, and spent as little time socializing as possible. There was no room for thoughts of Feliciano. There was no room for hurt, or any other emotion besides.

He was utterly, utterly blank.

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**Reviews are much appreciated x3  
**


	10. Bored

Ludwig had no other name for the buzzing that was ringing now through his head other than sheer, unadulterated boredom.

It was the middle of geometry, a class which Ludwig found to be _painfully _elementary in itself, but with a test coming up soon the teacher had elected to allow the students a day or two of independent review. Being that Ludwig was several chapters ahead in his textbook, this left him with absolutely _nothing _to do.

He drummed his fingers on the desk impatiently. An attempt to make this tapping somewhat musical ended in utter failure, and he quickly forced himself to keep his hands still.

He looked over at the desk to his right. Normally Feliciana would be sitting there, but she'd caught the flu quite suddenly the night before and in all likelihood would be missing the next few days of school - and their geometry exam.

If she was here now, she would probably be talking his ear off.

He sighed, resigned himself to the fact that it was bound to happen sooner or later, and pulled out his cell phone. Texting during class was, of course, a breach of school policy, but for once in his life Ludwig couldn't bring himself to care. He slid open the keyboard and began composing a new text message to speed dial #2.

_You're missing a review class. We're not doing ANYTHING. _

He sent the message and held his phone discreetly behind his books so that he would be able to see when she replied.

_O no. Ur bored 2 tears, arnt u?_

Ludwig couldn't help but smile. People always seemed surprised that the two were best friends, but it made sense - she knew him so well.

_Yes, I am. I need something to DO! _

Briefly considering whether it was possible to emote the gesture of smashing one's skull against a textbook, he sent his reply.

Feliciana's came just a moment later. _Try drawing!_

Ludwig blanched. He definitely could NOT draw. That option was out.

He looked back to read the rest of her message. _& dont even try 2 tell me u cant draw. u just havnt spent enough time on it. Give it a class period. u'll come up w something. _

He rolled his eyes. _Fine_, he replied, _but don't expect me to show you. _

_i want 2 hear all about it tho! Good luck! :)_

Ludwig stared down at the notebook in front of him, into which he _had _been prepared to take some lecture notes. Not really sure how to start, he set his pencil to the page.

He began by drawing some random strokes here and there, swooping, curling things with no real direction. After a few moments it occurred to him that they looked something like a pair of eyes, and he set about trying to shape them more so. They were big and wide, and they stared up at him, begging for more context. An eyelash here, some laugh lines there... He drew thinly curving eyebrows and slid a nose down the middle, which of course demanded a light spattering of freckles...

When the bell rang nearly an hour later, Ludwig looked down at the face he'd drawn, glad Feliciana wasn't expecting to see it. Because while it certainly didn't look like one of Feli's portraits, it did bear a striking resemblance to her face.

Ludwig contemplated it for a moment, then tore it from his notebook and tucked it safely into his backpack. The picture was good, but it didn't do her justice at all. With all the practice Ludwig would need, he figured it would be a long while before he ever got bored again.

* * *

**Next one's BOUNCY. You wouldn't BELIEVE how mean that prompt was to me. But I am extremely happy with the way it turned out, so you have that to look forward to.**

**I know this one was short, but I would still appreciate your thoughts. ;)  
**


	11. Bouncy

**Sorry for the late update, guys, but my school blocked fanfiction (I KNOW!), and when you add that to early Friday departure for a weekend vacation it was hard to get onto a computer. **

**This chapter gave me lots of trouble, but I absolutely LOVE it. It might even be my new favorite. The fluff was wonderful to revisit after finishing the next chapter, which will by definition contain MUCH ANGST.**

**Oh, but speaking of the next chapter, _really important note here_: Like Romano, I'm Catholic, and tomorrow (later today?) is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent. This is relevant to you guys because I AM GOING TO FAST FROM HETALIA until the end of Easter Weekend. **

**Once again, in case you skipped that, _I AM LEAVING THE FANDOM UNTIL EASTER_. This is going to be super difficult for me AND not so fun for those of you who really like my story. More on this at the end, but for now, behold, fluff!  
**

* * *

Ludwig and Feliciano were seated on the couch, after the latter had begged to watch some television together. Ludwig had, of course, relented, and now here he was, his arm around Feliciano's shoulders as they snuggled together under a blanket.

He groaned as the commercials began to cycle again, blaring much louder than the actual program had. "Feliciano, is this show really so important that it's worth sitting through this? Why can't we just record it and watch it tomorrow?"

"Ve, but if we don't watch it live then Lovino's gonna call and tell me all about what happens to Piero and I don't want him to spoil it for me!"

Ludwig was about to roll his eyes, but found they were quite abruptly fastened to the television screen.

He didn't want to admit it, but this one commercial made the day's total lack of productivity absolutely worthwhile.

It was genius. Pure genius. The technology was so simple it was a miracle no one had thought of it before. And even better – it looked very, very easy to clean.

He hoped Feliciano hadn't noticed the way his body had suddenly tensed as the commercial began. But, as he muttered a quick "Excuse me," he supposed that even Feliciano might have thought something was suspicious in the haste with which he rose from the couch and strode into the next room to make a simple phone call.

**~xxx~**

Six to eight weeks later, Ludwig's incessant checking of the mail was finally rewarded. He opened the door to find a rectangular package left on his doorstep, wrapped in brown paper and surely containing the means to produce pure joy.

He reached down and picked it up gingerly, as if its contents were fragile enough to break at the first jostle. He dropped the mail on the mantlepiece – at least, he hoped it had landed there; he wasn't really sure, too busy gazing at the cardboard box in his hands to care – and made his way to the kitchen.

As soon as he crossed the threshold he snatched a kitchen knife and cut through the tape on the box, ripping it open with growing excitement. He felt it bubbling up in his stomach as he lifted the flaps and looked down at the other box inside.

There it was.

The Perfect Baking Pan.

Ludwig tore off his uniform jacket – he could take a day off – and reached to the very back of the topmost shelf of the pantry closet for his apron. He tossed it around his neck, knotted it hastily behind his back with practiced ease, and tore into the packaging, pulling out all the pieces and scattering them across the counter to admire them. Then he set to work.

**~xxx~**

Feliciano frowned as he pulled his key out of the lock. It wasn't often that Ludwig left his door unlocked; he hoped everything was okay. He shifted the bag of groceries on his hip and entered the house.

The mail was on the mantlepiece as it usually was, but it was only in one messy pile as opposed to its typical straight, sorted stacks. He narrowed his eyes. Something was most certainly amiss.

He passed Ludwig's office on the way to the kitchen, noting that it was quite conspicuously empty. Was he even in the house?

A clanging sound rose from the kitchen. Ah. He made his way there next, still clutching the groceries at his side.

Feliciano stopped short in the doorway, staring.

The kitchen was filled with the undeniable scent of brownies. And he could see why – there were dozens of them sitting on cooling racks all over the counters, batch after delectable batch.

Well. Now he could see why Ludwig had texted him asking for more flour, butter, and cocoa. It was a wonder he hadn't run out sooner.

Ludwig stood up, closing the stove and turning around, another pan of brownies in his ove-gloved hands. "Feli!" he said, a bright smile on his face. He was wearing a pink, frilly apron, and was absolutely covered with flour. To add to the strangeness of his appearance, he even had a bit of batter smeared across his face and in his hair, which was starting to slip out of its carefully gelled hold.

Disconcerting as it was, Feliciano thought he had never seen a more beautiful sight in his life.

Ludwig rushed over and pecked him on the lips in an uncharacteristically random show of affection. "You brought the ingredients I asked for! Oh, Feli, look–!"

And Feliciano found himself dragged by the elbow to the counter, where a square sheet of metal was standing sentinel on a spike next to the refrigerator. "Watch this!"

He laid the pan with the finished brownies on top of the stand. Feliciano watched his face light up as the sides of the pan fell around the removable bottom, leaving the brownies on a tray. "Ooh," Feliciano cooed appeasingly.

"And then, and then–!" He pulled a metal grid out from in between the brownies, revealing eighteen perfect, symmetrical, square brownies. Ludwig giggled, and Feliciano felt his jaw drop. He turned to look at him incredulously. "No more digging a fork underneath! No more knives scratching the bottom of the pan! No more fighting with Bruder about who gets the biggest brownie!" He giggled again.

Feliciano stared up at him for a moment, then pulled him down by the back of the neck for a heated kiss. He wrapped his fingers through his flour-encrusted hair and poked his tongue out to lick some of the sugar that lined his bottom lip. When he pulled back, a bit breathless, he noted with satisfaction the way Ludwig's eyes had begun to cloud over as arousal began to obscure his strange hyperactivity.

Feliciano smirked. "How very... _domestic_," he purred.

Ludwig swallowed. "I... erm... S'fun, and..." He was distracted by Feliciano's fingers as they trailed along his jaw, down his neck, and down, down–

Only to snatch the brownie pan out of his hands as Feliciano quite abruptly increased the space between them with a sharp step backwards. He tried not to laugh at the shocked expression on the German's face, a task which became much more difficult as the shock transformed into what could only be described as a pout. "Come on, Ludwig, there's still plenty of oven time left in the day." He stepped closer again at Ludwig's torn expression to whisper huskily in his ear. "Why don't we save some brownie batter for... _later_?"

Ludwig's jaw immediately tightened at the implications of his suggestion, and after a few seconds in which Feliciano knew he was struggling for control of his brain, he nodded stiffly. He wrapped his arms around Feliciano's waist, and the two stood in a comfortable embrace for a few moments.

Several seconds passed before Ludwig spoke. "So do you wanna help me bake?" Feliciano could hear that the excitement had returned to his voice, and pulling back he saw that it was evident in his eyes as well. He laughed, and nodded. "Great! Oh, Feli, this is going to be _so wunderbar_! Here, come here–"

Feliciano found himself once more dragged across the kitchen by the elbow. Once more he was struck by the strangely perfect sight of his burly German partner dressed in a flour-smeared, pink, lacy apron. As another giggle escaped Ludwig's lips, he found himself for the first time certain that pasta wasn't his only favorite food.

* * *

**I laugh. And squeal, because this pairing is just too cute to resist. It's gonna be a hard 40 days.**

**The name Piero was an unabashed reference to Simone Christicci's "L'Italia di Piero," an Italian song which I simply ADORE. You folks with access to youtube (and that's most of you folks) should go RIGHT NOW to look up some lyrics. There is much reward in seeking SkadiPirate's version, which should be the first result if you add keywords "English translation" or something like that. But that's all the shameless advertising I'm going to give on the matter.**

**If you're not sure what The Perfect Baking Pan or the Ove-Glove are, LOOK THEM UP. Ludwig would most DEFINITELY own one (or a few) of each.**

**And now: My decision for Lent. I absolutely adore this series, but it's taken over WAYYYY too much of my thought life, and quite frankly it's getting in the way of MORE than just my relationship with God. I need an intervention. One of my friends thinks WRITING would be fine, but I'm not so sure... My goal is to go all month without reading, writing, watching, or doing anything fanart-related about Hetalia AT ALL. Eventually I might even stop thinking about it so often, which might help me actually pay attention in class once in a while. This means that I'm going to fall totally behind on most of my favorite fics, and I might have to drop a few I don't read as much. I also won't be able to reply to your reviews until a little after Easter.**

**One thing I have to be really honest about: Last year my mom wagered 20 bucks a week that I couldn't go a whole school quarter without logging in to facebook. 9 weeks later I was completely cured of my facebook addiction, and one year after that I still don't feel like logging on too often. IT IS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THAT THIS WILL HAPPEN WITH HETALIA. That thought makes me really sad because it's been such a constant in my life for so long (I think March 22 marks my 1-year date of entry into the fandom). If that should happen, I'm going to come back and post as many works as I can find before... riding off into the sunset? I'm not sure. I would at least give you chapter 12 now, but unfortunately it's not even fully typed yet.**

**I need to stop talking. Sorry, this seemed important... Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, though if you flame me I guess I won't know until April. I'll see you on the other side. ;)  
**


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